“You can stay in the guest room down the hall, but don’t expect any money from me,” she yelled and threw the bedroom door shut.
After a long shower, she found herself sitting at the edge of her bed, thinking about the future. About Nate. It was time to stop letting her insecurities control her. She needed to talk to him. He’d been considerate and nice toward her. And the reality was she had feelings, deep feelings for the shifter that went to the most scarred areas of her heart. His mother and family had been wonderful toward her. She couldn’t deny that Nate would not only make a great father, but a great mate. Not that he’d said that, but she hoped if things went that way they could make it work. If they didn’t, God help both of them.
Karla sighed as she opened her front door. She’d let the others talk her into hot yoga again. She didn’t think she’d ever become a fan of the stuff. It was great for bonding between her friends, but she had trouble with a lot of the poses. Some of those moves showed her just how inflexible she was. Last night, she’d argued with Kass, and Nate had been back in the helping Caleb role, so she’d been left alone. Again.
But she wasn’t going to dwell on that. She was going to go take a nice bath in some of the unscented bubble bath Ellie had gifted her and sleep for at least ten hours or God help her, she’d be Godzilla in the morning.
She took three steps into the living room and stopped dead at the sight in front of her. It was a naked couple having sex on her sofa. Her sofa.
“Kass?”
Her sister stopped riding the guy under her like she wanted to win best time at the rodeo and shifted enough to glance at her over her shoulder. Karla got a look at the man taking part in the molestation of her couch.
“Charlie?”
She couldn’t believe her co-worker was being ridden like a pony by her sister.
“Karla?” His eyes went saucer-wide with shock as he swung back and forth between her and Kass. “Who are you?”
Kass grinned. “I told you I was your dirtiest dream come true.”
“Get off my sofa!” Karla ordered and headed for her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her. She waited until she heard Charlie rush out the front door and start his car before heading back into the living room.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, having sex with my co-worker in my living room?” She shouted. “On my sofa!”
Kass had wrapped a short silk robe around her as she threw cushions back on the sofa. “Boy, you really are uptight, aren’t you? I was having a little fun. He’s cute, and he enjoyed it too. He came over, and I was filled with the need to play a little.”
“So you pretended to be me?” She gasped in disgust.
Kass rolled her eyes. “It was only for a little bit. Stop acting like it’s a big deal. It’s not your body I was using.”
Karla made a mental note to get the sofa removed the next day. She dug her nails into the back of the love seat and growled. “Listen up. You can stay here until tomorrow. After that, I want you gone. Go stay with Kel. I won’t tolerate that kind of crap in my house.”
“Figures. I knew I couldn’t count on you,” Kass flung back and stomped toward the guest room.
Karla eyed the sex sofa. “Sorry, perv couch, but you gotta go too.”
She sent a text to Emma and asked her to get someone from the furniture store in town to bring her a new sofa and remove the old one. As expected, Emma’s instant reply was an affirmative with an early time for action. The good thing about Emma was that she got shit done. Even if she pissed off people in the process.
Another text came in. Charlie apologized for his behavior and asked her to please give him a chance to explain. He asked if he could see her for dinner or a cup of coffee in a day or two. She knew it wasn’t his fault Kass had played a trick on him. He’d promised to drop off some lesson plans for her workshop, so she’d assumed he’d leave them in her mailbox. Kass must have gotten a hold of him and decided to play her sick games. A shudder of revulsion rocked her at the memory of her sister and Charlie. She replied to Charlie’s text by telling him she would think about it. She eyed the sofa again. Definitely had to go.
Nate groaned with exhaustion. The last thing he wanted was to wake up Karla. It was late. He’d taken longer than he’d expected talking to his staff and closing shop. He’d debated for all of a second on whether he should come back to her house, but realized her sister stressed her, and he needed to be there for her.
Dim lighting filled the living room. He dropped his keys in the ceramic bowl by the door next to Karla’s car keys. And headed straight to the kitchen to grab a drink of water before hitting the shower.